European, Pinoy jazz artists to jam on a cross-cultural ‘little blind date’

French guitarist Nguyên Lê and German jazz vocalist Michael Schiefel struck up a friendship when they jointly brought European jazz music to once-war-torn Bosnia in 2012 through a series of performances.

Now, on Feb. 21 and Feb. 22, Nguyên and Schiefel will collaborate with Spanish jazz percussionist Tino di Geraldo and Italian double bass player Furio di Castri to form the European contingent of the cross-cultural musical journey called the Euro-Pinoy Jazz Concerts.

The pioneering “2014 Euro-Pinoy Jazz Concerts” is presented by the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) Philippines and the Delegation of the EU to the Philippines.

The Philippines’ Tots Tolentino, often referred to as one of Asia’s most prominent and gifted saxophonists, is the other half of the “Euro-Pinoy” equation.

EU Delegation to the Philippines' political counselor Dr. Julian Vassallo said at a press conference that the concerts “are a little blind date of jazz that the EU has cooked up for Filipinos.”

“I am proud to present to you an event that brings out the best of the European Union jazz scene coming to the Philippines. The European and Filipino jazz artists will surely click as they spend some time together to create something special for the Filipino audience,” he added.

The ties that bind

The EU Delegation in the Philippines is primarily engaged in political and economic diplomacy. However, said Vassallo,“While political and economic ties are crucial in our relationship...very often it is the cultural ties, the people-to-people ties, which are really the ties that bind. It is events like this that creates those ties that lasts and upon which new relationships, new enterprises, and new endeavors are built.”

Patrick Deyvant, director of the Alliance Française de Manille, agreed. “The EU is also about culture. Culture is the sense of our being.”

In a nod to the efforts by Intramuros Administration head Marco Antonio Luisito V. Sardillo III to promote the historic site as a cultural, arts, performance and tourism destination, Vassallo said the Feb. 22 concert is to be held at the Intramuros’ Maestranza Plaza.

Adelina M. Suemith, chief of the program monitoring and evaluation division of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), said the EUNIC Philippines’ move to link the Euro-Pinoy Jazz Concerts to the ongoing NCCA-led Philippine Arts Festival “will help bolster the local arts scene and integrate the European sensibilities and artistic value” into the month-long arts fest.

“As Europeans, we love old stones. Intramuros is full of old stones and little corners that can still be developed into sites for artistic developments. We have this wish that our endeavors will help to continue build Intramuros as a place for artistic events,” Vassallo said.

Workshop

Goethe-Institut Philippinen director Dr. Petra Raymond said that the Feb. 21 concert will be staged at the Bonifacio Global City’s Arts in the City venue at 8 p.m., the day after the end of a four-day workshop among the artists where they will “harmonize their unique brands of artistry to compose original jazz repertoire.”

“Each of the five artists will bring his own creative expressions of jazz music to the table, with the aim of creating a fresh and distinctive identity and fostering cultural cooperation,” she said.

Raymond added that the jazz genre was chosen for this cross-cultural collaboration because “jazz has more space and freedom for interaction in two different venues with two different kinds of audience.”

Cultural diversity

The French Nguyên will lend his fusion of Vietnamese and Western styles, bringing concepts from traditional music to electrical guitar, while Spain's Geraldo will show how he incorporates classical and jazz elements into flamenco music. Germany’s Schiefel will demonstrate his “experimental approach” to a capella by using his voice to create simple sounds that he playfully combines into musical numbers, and Italy’s Castri will showcase his improvisational approach to jazz.

The Philippines’ saxophonist Tolentino will lend his distinct playing style, described by critics as “passionate and authoritative.”

In a separate interview, José Maria Fons Guardiola, head of the cultural department of the Instituto Cervantes Manila, said that Geraldo, who is of Asturian descent, is a “multi-instrumentalist musician,” skilled in drums, bass, guitar, and percussion.

Fons said Geraldo is also a known music producer, composer, and arranger. Among Geraldo’s past musical collaborators were Paco de Lucía, Nguyên, Carlos Benavent, Jorge Pardo, Chano Dominguez, Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, and Michael Brecker.

In 2000, Geraldo recorded “Bakida” with Nguyên and toured with him. From 2005 to 2010, he was part of a roadshow with Jackson Browne and David Lindley. They capped it with the 2010 release of the “Jackson Browne y David Lindley en vivo con Tino,” a compilation of live recordings from the concerts.

“Highly respected for their innovative approaches to their craft, these musicians have come together to foster a greater appreciation of jazz music among Filipino audiences, and transcend linguistic and cultural barriers between EU nations and the Philippines through the language of music,” Raymond said.

The 2014 Euro-Pinoy Jazz Concerts is the first project by the EUNIC Philippines, composed of the Alliance Française de Manille, Goethe-Institut Philippinen, Instituto Cervantes Manila and the Philippine-Italian Association, together with the EU Delegation to the Philippines, the NCCA, Intramuros Administration, and Arts in the City.

The EUNIC Philippines aims to foster cultural exchanges between the European and Filipino artists. Formed in 2006, EUNIC is composed of 31 members from 26 countries and works in the arts, language, youth, education, science, intercultural dialogue, and developmental sectors. — BM, GMA News

For details and inquiries, call Alliance Française de Manille cultural coordinator Sabrina Durand at 895-7585, or visit the Euro-Pinoy Jazz Concerts Facebook page and www.alliance.ph. Admission to the 2014 Euro-Pinoy Jazz Concerts is free on a first-come, first-served basis.